Five Days of Silence: Evaluations of the Christ Project
February 23, 2020
I am wondering, is forming a man to be a priest simply a “project” like any other “project” organizations do? Typical projects for other organizations have managers and stakeholders who do their best to control the outcome. On the surface, forming a priest is like one of these projects, but unlike a typical project, this one is unique and special. It is a Christ Project.
Projects typically need evaluations at three stages: the beginning, middle, and end. During our five days of silence, God performed an intimate evaluation of His Christ Project within us all. During the retreat, Christ Himself spoke to us interiorly through our prayer and exteriorly through the physical sites and experiences we encountered at the Holy Places we have visited in our preparation for the Diaconate.
I could not think of any other place more fitting to visit during our Canonical retreat than the shores of the Sea of Galilee! We stood next to the sea on which Jesus Himself sailed during His ministry! When I looked to the West, I noticed the village of Capernaum where Jesus ministered. When I shifted my gaze slightly North, I looked upon the Mountain of the Beatitudes where Jesus taught us how to be like Him and live out our lives as he did. All this has simply drawn me deeper into the Christ Project within myself and I’m sure my brother seminarians would say the same.
It was an amazing experience! An experience of evaluation without our controlling anything. The Holy Spirit worked within us as we discovered and rediscovered our calling. He did this by helping us to better understand the expected fruits of our Christ Project.
For me, the questions our Risen Lord asked St. Peter in John 21: 15-19 kept resounding like bells inside my heart. Do you love me? Do you love me? I kept replying: “Yes Lord but give me the graces I need.” I believe that if we love the Lord, then the work of tending and feeding Jesus’ sheep will be experienced as a joy to us all.
We have finished a five-day silent retreat. Have we been silent? Externally, yes, but internally, no. God’s evaluations of our Christ Projects had us reporting to Him, negotiating with Him, and asking for His support.
You also, we presented to Him during our Holy encounters.
Peter Walusimbi
Diocese of Kiyinda-Mityana, Uganda
